The summit is only half way...

I squeezed into a tent with Tim and Ian who were already in the process of melting snow for brews. It was 17:30 (Nepal time) so we had less than 5 hours before our planned departure to try to eat, drink and rest. As the sun got lower I kept looking out to check the weather, we commented on the absolute lack of wind and marvelled at the spectacle of the myriad peaks and ridges in the setting sun. For the record, Tim had the (dehydrated) lamb dinner.

Looking down over the Kangshung Face to makalu

We managed to arrange our respective limbs and bodies in the tent so it was possible for us all to lie down of a fashion. It would have been an hour and a half¹s rest but for Ian¹s persistent shuffling and fidgeting: 'Hey chaps, anyone seen my pee bottle?' None of us was going to sleep anyway with the anticipation of the climb.


Sunrise from Everest

At 21:00 our alarms went off and Tim set to melting snow for more fluid. Ian was really quite ill at this stage with his chest infection, speaking in only a whisper and doubling over with coughing fits on a regular basis. We drank and filled our water bottles then it was time to go. The outside temperature was minus 25 degrees C. We donned crampons and each put 2 fresh oxygen bottles in our sacks.

The North East Ridge

At 23:00 we started our climb. There were lights already above us but we soon caught up with a small party of Indians, one of whom was having a crampon tied onto his boot with string! (One of the Indians took 14 hours to summit and was not to return). Shortly after we caught up with another group of around 6 people. The ground was steep and it was not possible to pass them for some time. Tim was out in front at this stage and made a good overtaking move as soon as it was possible (annoying the Russian who didn't seem to want to let anyone past). I followed right behind and we quickly moved ahead.

The final difficulties around 8750m (28700ft)

Tim and I stormed ahead leaving the rest of the team stuck behind the slow moving group. The route follows a narrow snow gully interspersed with sections of rocky scrambling all the way to the North East Ridge. All of a sudden you have a new 180-degree's worth of vista opens up below you. Makalu is just there to the south, almost continually backlit and silhouetted by
lightning illuminating the inside of the slowly approaching monsoon storm clouds. What an incredible light show, I could have watched it for hours but we had places to go.

Tim approaching the summit

We made good progress along relatively easy ground up to the first of the 3 steps. This required some easy climbing then more easy ground interspersed with scrambling along sloping rock ledges. The second step took a bit more effort to overcome. In two sections; the first requiring some energetic climbing, the second is the famous Chinese ladder with a brand new ladder in place. Getting off the ladder required 3 or 4 delicate crampon moves on very small rock ledges, very thankful for the fixed lines. The sky in the east was slowly brightening.

The final snow slope

An almost flat section leads to the Third Step that again is far from being a doddle to climb. We climbed up the snow slope above, unclipping from the fixed rope to step past the body of a Slovenian climber who had died just a week previously, to arrive again at the North Face. The sun rose above the eastern horizon casting a huge triangular shadow of Everest. An exposed 100m traverse along sloping ledges led to the Dihedral, the final bit of rock climbing before the summit ridge. 10 minutes up easy snow slopes led to the summit that we reached at 06:00. A small group was just coming down so we had the top of the world to ourselves.

Looking back down the NE Ridge with Kangshung Face on right

The sense of relief and emotions I was expecting to have on summiting did not materialise having been tempered by the numerous bodily reminders of our mortality. Most deaths after all occur on the way down, the summit is only half way.


Stuart on top

More soon